Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Antigone Rising - Tales From Wonderland

Four months after the release of From The Ground Up, Jason Flom was "let go" from Warner Music Group. His departure left our future uncertain. We were totally freaked out, to say the least. But after several group huddles with management, band and label it was determined that Lava Records would hang on to us. They sent us down to Nashville, TN to begin writing our follow up studio album.

In February, 2006, we packed our bags and moved into a house funded by the record label. It was such an amazing thing to have happen. After all the worry and fear that the label would drop us, their willingness to ship us off to write our new CD seemed like a blessing.

I shipped my computer down and set it up in one of the bedroom's. Our publishing company, Warner Chappell, set Cassidy and me up on several songwriting dates. She and I literally woke up every morning, looked at our schedule, mapblasted directions to the location of that day's writing session, and headed off to write many of the songs that eventually ended up on the studio CD.

One day while Cass was in L.A. on meetings, I had a writing date of my own. Judy Stakee, our point person at Warner Chappell, really wanted us to meet and write with a guy named Jay Joyce. He produced Patty Griffin's Flaming Red and she thought he'd be a great person for me to sit with. Turns out Judy Stakee was absolutely right. Jay and I had instant chemistry. He and I wrote and demo'd a song together that day in his home studio. Of all the dates we'd been on so far, this guy was by far my favorite. His sensibility was right in line with the band's, and his home studio and production style on our writing demo got me thinking.

As soon as Cassidy got back to Nashville, I made sure we got back in to write with him. Together that day we wrote a song called Serial Killer. Aside from being totally psyched about the song itself, the demo Jay produced of it was so unbelievable. Our manager, Scooter, agreed and we put forth to the label that we'd like Jay Joyce to produce the upcoming record.

The label agreed to Jay. They just didn't agree that we had the songs to go in to make the album. We disagreed. A few weeks later we parted rather amicably from Warner Music (Lava/Atlantic), unsure of what was ahead. We knew we had written a lot of great songs during our time in Nashville (and Cass' time in L.A.), but we needed financing to get into the studio and properly make the follow up to From The Ground Up.

Fortunately our manager at the time, Scooter Weintraub, had the where with all to contact Starbucks. Starbucks had voiced all along that they wanted to be involved with our next release, and together Scooter and Starbucks put together a deal that would enable us to do just that. Only there would be NO record label involved. It was a deal made directly between us and Starbucks. They would finance the recording of our record, and in return we would hand them 50,000 copies of our creation, artwork and all. We, in essence, would act as our own record label and Starbucks would distribute it throughout it's 4,000 stores. It seemed like a dream deal. And to be quite honest, we had no other offers on the table. If we were going to make this record the way we wanted to, we had to make this situation work.

As many of you who work in corporate America know, deals can drag on. and on. and on. This deal was no exception. But Jay Joyce carved out time for us to record in January, 2007 and our window of opportunity to work with him was closing rapidly. His manager was playing hardball with us and we still didn't have money from The Bucks' to get things rolling. I recall personally making several phone calls to my management and Jay during the week between Christmas and New Year's to be sure we could start recording the first week of January. Cathy and Uncle Pam (from our management office) quarterbacked getting everybody's flights arranged, apartments rented for us to live in, cars rented for us to drive in, gear situated for us to play on the recording, etc. etc. And ultimately, our manager Scooter Weintraub figured out a way to front us a good deal of money to get down to Nashville to start recording as soon as the new year hit.

On January 4th, 2007 we touched down in Nashville, TN. We arrived at Jay Joyce's home studio, took our places, and recorded a song a day for the next three weeks. The mood was set. Candles were lit, Jay's brother Tommy cooked us the most amazing lunches and dinners, Jay's black lab Max slept in the big room through most of the sessions, American Idol auditions were on TV in the next room if you weren't tracking in the studio. Nikki Hirsch, our former product manager at Lava Records, flew down on her own for a few days to be in on the sessions and to help advise us on how to release the album. Scooter and Aunt Pam spent a few days with us to be sure the album was headed in the right direction. Scooter had a vision for the record. He felt strongly that it have a strong rhythmic pulse throughout, that a percussion player on the tracks would help give the CD an identifiable sound. Jay hired a good friend of his, Giles Reaves, to sit in on the sessions to play percussion and some keyboards. Cathy also played keyboards on a few of the tracks. And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Jason, our pro tools engineer!

In the midst of recording, the actual Starbucks contract came in the mail. As is always the case, we waited and waited and waited for months on end for it, but now in order for us to get a check cut to pay for the recording we needed to sign on the dotted line immediately. We read the contract, of course. We mulled it over in the kitchen, on the front porch, even in the big room where we were recording. There were things in it we didn't LOVE. But ultimately we were being allowed to make our record. We'd figure out a way to make it work. So we thought. That day.

So, three weeks after landing in Nashville to record, and about a year after living there for several months to write the record, we were DONE! Now all we had to do was wait for mixes. Jay worked fast and by early February we started receiving songs. We were BLOWN AWAY. We were THRILLED! All of us. Scooter questioned song sequence, like any great manager should do, and we fought him. We fought each other on which songs should stay and which songs should go. We compromised. But we came to an agreement. Now we needed artwork.

Jen hooked us up with an incredibly talented photographer named Adam Wallacavage. We shuffled down to Philly and spent the day in his amazing brownstone. Jen also arranged for stylists to help clothe us for the shoot. We had hair stylists, make up artists, the whole nine yards.

And after the photoshoot we did a video shoot! Jen's extremely talented husband Marc Brodzic shot and directed a music video for Broken.

I've gotten emails and tweets from people asking me to speak about what's happening right now. I honestly don't have words. I usually have clarity within a few days. I know many of the fans are excited to have the music. I wish I could say I'm glad you do. I'm having trouble reconciling the way it was released. This wasn't just Cassidy's record. It was mine. And Cathy's. And Jen's. And Dena's. We bled for it too. Our hearts broke over it too. There were a lot of people involved who deserved a thank you. Being able to mention them in this blog makes me feel a little bit better.

I am undyingly grateful to our fans. The ones who support us, the ones who support Cass, and the ones who still support us both. Your passion and commitment to what we built together is a testament to our blood, sweat and tears. I am humbled. Truly.

46 comments:

I forgot to mention that the "new" CD is outstanding. AR made an exceptionally good studio(!) CD. Kudos to all five AR ladies of yore on a job well done. And thanks for a couple of years of good times and great music. I enjoyed every minute of it.

I don't want to take sides in this. I want Tales from Wonderland the way it is intended. I want the artwork and the product that so many people fought so hard for.The CD Cassidy released was burned on a computer and offers no more information other than the song names. It reminds of buying a bootlegged DVD in the subway station. She got the songs out there, she got on the radio. All awesome things.But I'm still waiting for the real deal

Kristen, I want to say thank you too. I've always been one to understand that there are often many sides to any story, and tend to reserve judgement because of that belief. As a fan, or supporter (I hate the word fan), I've never expected any sort of explanation about what was going on behind the scenes, I just took everything as it came and was presented to me. I read a book that talked about how every human being has their own "story" so no two people are going to view the same situation in the same way. This is what being a human is, free will, different opinions, and different ways of interpreting the same situation.

Not sure if that's confusing, but I don't want to banter on about that, so moving on...I commend you and have the greatest respect for you for posting this. Many may have the opinion that the album release is a good thing, who cares how it got out, just go with it and reap the rewards. But I believe in credit of a different kind...the kind that includes acknowledgement, respect, recognition and gratitude that you have expressed here. It may not pay the bills, but I believe it goes a hell of a lot farther in the grand scheme of things. Thank you for being real and giving recognition to those involved, no matter how small their task may have been to the making of the album.

Thanks for posting your thoughts. I'm certainly glad you like the CD so much. And you're welcome for the couple of years of good times and great music. There were a lot of great times, and hopefully more to come on both sides.

As for the she said/she said about refusing to get together, I will admit there was an attempt early on by Cassidy through our management to sit down with Cathy and me to finalize things. There were 2 reasons, for me, that it didn't happen at that time. 1) I thought it was too soon and I honestly hoped that more time might bring reconciliation. I was a pretty late bloomer on the "Cassidy really did leave the band" bus. 2) I was at a time in my life where I truly had to put myself first. I think most people know I gave birth in February. It wasn't a great time to toss myself into a high stress situation.

Since that time, Cassidy's lawyer has been in touch with our lawyer. It's truly for the best. Especially right now. We definitely don't agree on some issues. If we sit in a room together we still won't agree on them. These are longstanding issues we don't agree on. I'm not a lawyer lover (sorry to all my lawyer friends), but in this case I truly believe they will help bring clarity to our situation and help get things resolved.

There's a quick point that I want to make here with regard to Tales From Wonderland. I co- wrote most of the tracks on the CD that Cassidy released. I played my heart out on every one of the tracks on that CD. Starbucks paid for these recordings. Starbucks owns these particular recordings. They don't own the songs. They don't own my writing credits (but Warner Chappell does own 50% of my writing credits, and that's a whole other story). We can all go off in our own direction and record these very songs until we're sick to death of them. We do have to account for compensating the song writers. But we can record them again. And we can release them. Legally.

With regard to setting a bad example for my kids, I'm definitely not. I'm sure of it. I'm moving forward with Cathy, Dena and Nini. We're writing songs we're really proud of. I'm learning to play bass guitar. And I can't wait until our first show where my kids will be standing on the side of the stage watching us play. Really, to me, that's all that matters. I'll figure out a way to get them through college no matter what. I'm not pushing Bucknell, but it would be nice...

I was posting to Linda while a few other posts came in, so I just want to acknowledge them. I don't know how often I'll be able to respond. I'll do my best, but seriously, twins....whoa.

Rainee, thank you for everything you've done for our band. You're an original street teamer - when we really really had nothing! And I am publicly acknowledging that I owe you guitar lessons...

Amanda, thanks for all the videos, photos and graphics you post. I see them. I may not always acknowledge. But I appreciate it. And your post.

Kate, if you click on the .jpg at the bottom of my blog, you can print out the artwork. We paid disc makers to lay that out for us, so I'm pretty sure we own it! I have to believe that's the least of our worries right now!

Thank you thank you thank you for saying SOMETHING. I'm kind of at a loss for words right now. I like many others have gone through so so much with supporting you all and all I can say is thank you. The words, your music means a lot. We all know you've been through hell and it hasn't been easy to say the least. People putting aside their lives performing--missing important family events. All because of the love of the music. That is truly phenomenal. Thanks for fighting the good fight. And giving some insight. You rock for posting. Awesome. AR's music means more to us than you will ever ever know. And thanks for posting the artwork. I love it--Joely

Hello, its me... I have no business putting in my two cents about anything... EXCEPT... I just want to hit on something real quick that was mentioned above.. I have never seen a woman love her babies more than Kristen Henderson.. She has done and will do anything for these two.. she's setting beautiful examples for them and they will with out a doubt grow up to be wise, hilarious, amazing individuals... I'm sure I am not the only one who would love if this "debate" stayed ONLY about the music and the five women behind it... NOT their personal lives.. thanks

I don't even know where to begin. I have about 1,000 questions, concerns, and comments and I know that not even half of that will end up on this blog.

The one thing I want you to know is that no matter what happens you have my support. As of right now I follow and support both bands. I don't see any reason not to.

It's not easy! I can tell you that much. Especially as of late. I guess I just don't like hearing negative comments about EITHER side. It literally makes me cringe. (we've all just become so emotionally vested in the band/bands) You have a lot of fans out there that love you and would do anything for you. I'm sure you know that and I hope you know that includes me. if you ever needed anything, all you'd have to do is ask.

I'm sorry this all happened the way it happened but I have to be honest, I'm happy to be able to listen to songs. I'd really hate to think about your music, your talent, your creativity, and all of the work, blood, sweat and tears just sitting on a shelf for YEARS without anyone hearing it.

If Antigone Rising ever does release Tales I plan on buying it. Hell I'll buy 20 copies and just hand them out to random people! Anything just to get your name out there.

Thank you for blogging and explaining your side, even though you really didn't owe it to anyone.

very psyched to see the artwork and the credits displayed for all to see. glad to see such a calm reaction. not shocked at all that it didn't come out right away. i think we were all speechless for awhile. i'm still stunned myself. i haven't heard the ablum yet, but i will soon, and i'll be bringing some dollah bills to the 9/12 Antigone Rising show to compensate the rest of the contributors. can't wait for the next show. keep on writing!Jeannie

MY OPINION ONLY! WOW! What transpired is completely unfair. I know there are always two sides to an argument but how in her right mind could she ever think what she did was fair to ALL those who put their blood, sweat and tears into that record. Is what she did even legal? (Rhetorical question). I personally can't wait to hear the new album, but I want to wait till the album is truly created in the manner it was intended, not "stolen" and pawned off as a solo project.

1) "huddles" - which is what I had to go through at work during the mornings of the training month in the new job

2) "clarity" - an intranet website for portfolio management where I have to enter my hours to give people account of what I do at work; both these words scare me because I too:

3) "work in corporate America"

"I am undyingly grateful to our fans. The ones who support us, the ones who support Cass, and the ones who still support us both".

I am one of them. All the band members of the lineup I used to know always had my unconditional support. About one year and a half ago, I was prepared to support five distinct entities. After the regrouping, nowhere could I read "if you support one of the two parties, then don't support the other".

And if I had found anything like this, I would have dared asking, so I can understand. For MY "clarity" ;) , that is. Since these are thoughts I have also/already posted on Cassidy's blog, I would like to add some other thoughts I posted there too, in defense of Kristen Henderson and of her motherhood:

I cannot have the experience of a pregnant mother-to-be, yet I believe that: if Kristen could not or chose to not respond for 18 months, that was merely to avoid the stress of such a communication. The baby she was carrying was becoming more important than herself. Her evolving maternal instinct told her the stress of such a communication was not healthy for the baby she was carrying. As on Cassidy's blog, I'm keeping a hope that: if communication was not possible for 18 months for a reason, then maybe it becomes possible at about the time of the baby-shower.

About the record: I'm glad the music exists. I do not have the record. I got wet eyes upon reading both Kristen's and Cassidy's blog entries about its release. And I'm supposed to be a man, right? :)

There's more than two sides to every story, Mr. Henderson. I may be out of line here, but I just would like to say this is the most disrespectful post I've seen yet about this situation. All the talk about "this side" spreading negative and darkness around, yet here there is more mud slinging and personal attacks than anything Kristen wrote about. Also, I disagree with your comment about the fans "clamoring" for more information. It was clear from Kristen's tweets about the blog that this was to be a tribute to those who worked on the album, so that they receive some recognition for their contributions. She then answered the questions asked of her.

Kristen, just as Amanda said above, you can delete this too...we just couldn't let this be up here without speaking our minds as well. Hope you understand are and okay with that.

And, for the next half a year after her pregnancy, Kristen has been raising the babies. Many a time she tweeted "The babies are killing me". Sleep deprived and exhausted, how would she be able to cope with all that band change dealing? Cassidy would understand that better than I can, Andrew. Probably you too understand. If not now, then maybe later.

Cassidy blogged that, you already popped the question. Good luck. Maybe the two of you too will want kids some day and see how it is...

I just want to say that I really admire the fact that you guys have been so professional about the whole situation. Especially in light of some of the things being said lately. I know that some may have felt miffed by lack of communication from AR, but I just don't get that.I've put in countless dollars and hours driving and flying around to see you guys, but I have never felt like that meant you owed me an explanation about anything. It's your private stuff and none of my business. I've come to find that my instincts have been proven right about the conclusions I had come to, anyway. I'm really appalled by all the personal comments and attacks being slung around right now on the CP site. It's so unprofessional and just over the top, really. It's been the last straw for me, personally. Don't get me wrong, I loved having Cassidy in the mix as much as anyone, her voice is wonderful and she has amazing stage presence, but AR for me has always been about the music. Probably because I basically taught myself how to play guitar by listening to your guys and going to as many shows as I could.:D I respect her as a vocalist, but that's about it at this point. The magic you 4, and even 3, ladies create when onstage together cannot be replaced. Well, from what I've heard anyway. lol. Which leads me to my next point..

I almost choked when I realized that 4 or 5 of those tracks of the "new" songs are not even re-recorded. I mean, how do you do that? How? Anyway, I'm so glad that those songs are available through snocap. hint hint. I can't support such a shameful project. Even if I didn't already have various versions of the songs.

I'm rooting for you guys. I can't wait to see where this will lead and want give you kudos for keeping your integrity intact when others can't. It's very classy of you. Thanks for all the great music,memories, and inspiration you've given me over the years. I'm a AR supporter for life, and hope to get my butt up there to see a show sometime soon. Rock on Hendo's, I support you all the way.

I've had to deal with the unprofessional poster, from the other camp, myself earlier this year. And he was very entitled and unpleasant to me then. And I did absolutely nothing to anyone. I was blind sided. Accused. Threatened. All because he was uninformed and made assumptions about me and my work.

Good morning everyone,Thanks for all the supportive posts. I posted this blog knowing full well I was opening up a forum that could lead to some intense discussion. As I've been saying to my friends and bandmates, there's no point trying to guess what will come next. Each twist and turn is more surprising then the one before.

Trying to figure out how to remove posts is actually more labor intensive than I have time to figure out, so I'm going to leave my cousin Andrew's post visible for now.

I have set future comments to be approved before posting, at least for a few minutes. The decision is based strictly on the fact that mine and my cousin's estrangement is extremely painful for me.

I do want to address one more thing. Loose ends left from Cassidy's departure from AR and her decision to wrongfully credit and illegally post tracks from Tales From Wonderland owned by Starbucks are two totally unrelated issues in my eyes.

One last thing I need to address since the post is going to remain visible for now, any money that comes in to AR for CDs sold is attributed to debt attained while Cass was in the band.

Dear Everyone,I am really sad that this has gotten so ugly. it is a shame because both sides are to blame, but now factions within factions of bands and sides are confusing the lines and is making things worse. In the end, if the band members just sat down and dissolved the band we would not be here. People who say that they are fans of the music should just be that, fans. if you were not in that band, you do not have all of the facts. I cannot say that i know everything that happened, because i don't. what i do know is that this situation should have been resolved 2 years ago. People will make excuses, but i do know that cassidy attempted multiple times to resolve this and Cathy and Kristen refused to talk. Now it is like bad parents who fight in from of their kids and want people to take sides. the fans- "the kids" because that is how all of us are acting (including me at times because i hate seeing my sister upset) need to let the parents fight it out behind closed door- not in the public arena. Last night i saw the movie "The Soloist" and Robert downey's character said it best (I am paraphrasing): i don't want to be this person's God because right now i am their God but that will lead to me being the cause of resentment and all of their problems. Antigone Rising was a band. if a fan thinks of the band as their world or God They are wrong. It was 5 women's worlds. as much as we wanted to, we could never step into that world. I still have love in my heart for Kristin and Cathy and all of the Hendersons. They were my family for many years. I miss them. The nastiness and backtalk needs to stop. I wish i could get everyone in a room and have them stop. I know cassidy wanted that. I am not sure if the other girls do.

I am somewhat speechless right now. I think it is because I am trying to figure out what to address first...Kristen's original post or the comments that followed. As far as my support goes, I have tried to remain loyal to both sides and I think I've done a good job. I have read both sides of the story so far and I'm not about choosing one. Like many fans, I would have liked to have seen the album released under AR as originally planned. However, for reasons that frankly are not really any of my business, that didn't happen. Because music is one of my biggest passions, I must say that I am happy to have these songs. One of the best things about downloading music is that the names of playlists/albums can easily be changed on my computer. If I want this album to be called Tales from Wonderland by Antigone Rising for my own personal collection, I can do that. :)

I am grateful to Kristen for posting her thoughts on the situation. I have to say that I agree with some of the other posters who stated that she did it with class, especially in her last few statements about the fans' support. I am excited to see what the new AR lineup has in store for us! I have no doubt that it will be absolutely amazing. :)

I typically don't like to leave negative comments as I am a believer in the old saying "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all". So I am going to try and keep this as positive as possible. I was a little disappointed with Andrew's comments I am afraid. Unlike the other comments, this one wasn't really posted by a fan but by someone very close to Cassidy, probably the closest person to her. I think that this isn't the proper venue for those types of comments. Given that The Hendersons are family, it should have maybe been addressed offline/privately. I think a majority of the fans are reading Cassidy's blog and Kristen's blog and that is enough. We're getting enough info from both sides to form our own opinions. Again, I'm in it for the music and support both projects. I don't want to get into the whole she said/she said stuff. It's a really tough industry. There are always going to be disagreements and these types of instances. I just feel that Andrew took it a little too far by posting such biased opinions. And maybe some of what he was saying was fact, but I am not in any position to confirm that because I wasn't there. That's why I personally can't get wrapped up in all of that. What I read, in my opinion, was just a rolling list of acusations. It shocked me, but won't sway me in any direction. I just want to focus on the music. I loved AR when Cassidy was in the lineup but change is usually inevitable. I still support both projects as I stated earlier. I hated when Fleetwood Mac broke up too, but if I let all the "stuff" influence me, I would have missed out on some really good music. And look at Fleetwood Mac today....

You can feel free to not post this as I know you have enabled the "approval for comments" button.

I am shocked that there is even an attempt to justify the illegal actions taken. It is a cry for attention. It is a public tantrum. It is sad.

Not communicating does not justify posting tracks that you do not own. Starbucks owns them. They may be your songs, but in this world we call reality, you now have a publisher... and allowed a corportate entity to fund the album which means they OWN the tracks.

I wanted to adress one point that Andrew made... While I appriciate that Cassidy felt she was being treated unfairly. I, and each and every other crew member, manager, business manager, and booking agent were treated with just as much passive agressive cruelty and overall disrespect from Cassidy herself. I won't speak for everyone.. But, I can certainly mention all parties as each and every one has been astounded by her self centered and dilusional level of fame over the years. I have had conversations and listend to many a frustrated party while they were working with her and after they were a) fired. b) exhausted by the abuse and stopped working with the band.

So, if she was treated in a menner you thought was cruel I commend you for "advising her to leave the band". And I commend Cassidy for taking herself out of the situation. I sure wish I had the maturity to leave long before I finally did. Perhaps Cassidy learned some level of understanding on how to treat other people throught this very horrible endeavor.

I really want to try not to censor too much as I feel it's in the public forum now. So long as nothing said is going to upset me so much that I can't take care of the babies, I'm letting it fly.

Eugene, I totally understand, sympathize and appreciate your empathy for your sister. She's so lucky to have a brother like you.

I just want to make clear that at no point did Cass ever directly reach out to me or my sister regarding dissolution. There were a few brief emails between Hendos and Cass of some early accountings. If I recall, it was all cordial and friendly, considering the circumstances. There was an attempt really early on through our management, and I stated my reasons as to why I just couldn't do it at that time. My phone never rang, nor did Cathy's, regarding any meeting directly from Cass. If someone is really serious about getting together, they'll pick up the phone and get it done. I know for a fact Cass would.

It also never rang when she quit the band abruptly with several dates and income on the books. We were left to clean up that disaster, and it was one.

I get that it's what she needed to do for herself. Fine. All good. Mess cleaned, sorta. Let's move on.

All that being said, our lawyers have been in communication. A recent correspondence with my lawyer only about 3 weeks ago actually was focussed around the possibility of us getting back together to play shows to help offset the remaining debt, as well as both our lawyers approaching Starbucks to see if there was some agreement we could reach about releasing Tales From Wonderland. I got off that phone call cautiously optimistic that maybe things would have a happy ending, only to have all hell break loose with the posting of the tracks.

Total strangers get in touch with me all the time. Even with two relatively newborn babies in my house, I respond to facebook, myspace, hotmail and twitter (@antigonerising) on a regular basis. I've got a home line and a cell phone. Easy numbers to get if you urgently need to get in touch with me.

The lawyers are dealing. It's a slow process. But TRUST ME, I really believe both sides will be advised to do the right thing and all the emotion can be removed from what is clearly a really intense situaion.

One other thing. Stop referring to Antigone Rising in the past tense. I know for Eugene it probably ended when his sister left, but it's not over. As long as Cathy and I are breathing, Antigone Rising is in the present tense.

We are not A4 anymore. We used that name initially as a courtesy to fans so people would not expect to see Cassidy. I appreciate the integral role she played in the years she was with the band. And I'm sure there are plenty of fans who can't bare to see it go on without her. I hate to lose them, but I get it. It ended for me when David Lee Roth left Van Halen. But the band still went on to do big things. Here's to hoping the same for us.

Enough time has passed and Cassidy has clearly established her solo project to the fans via the band's mass email list that we felt comfortable going back to using our band's real name.

the first time i saw Antigone Rising, Cassidy was not even a member... so yeah, why would the group disband when she left? Keep on rockin' and rollin' ladies... i'll be there. sorry... that idea that Eugene threw out there really irked me... although i'm thinking maybe he just meant that those 5 ladies needed to RESOLVE things and not that the band should be DISSOLVED. whatever, and yeah, it's hard to stay unemotional... even though we couldn't step into their worlds for real for real... we still care about them as people, all of them... it is about the music, but the people are important to us too... i failed at staying calm... another reason why i applaud KH... also... coming from a big huge family in which we daily communicate via e-mail groups... family sh*t should stay in the family... no way would i ever post a note to a family member on a public forum like that... just makes me shake my head... okay i'm done

Wow Kris. I bet you never anticipated such a response when you were typing this post. I'm glad you did because getting things out there helps a person heal and move on. No one can ever understand exactly what went down and the aftermath of it except those directly involved, and it is evident that the parties involved have very differing views on the situation. As for any personal remarks made here, no one has the right to question you as a mother. Those of us that have witnessed you with your children have no doubt how devoted you are to them. And I believe that certain people should think twice about where and how they chose to address a situation.Love ya,Anne

I just wish to state how much I love and respect you guys and your music. I have not had the chance to see Antigone Rising since Cass left, but I will, given the opportunity.

You do not owe the fans anything and with any relationship there is enough blame to go around, even in my case I could have been a better husband and maybe could have worked things to reduce the hate that led to her going out to find a hitman two years after she divorced me.

Butch, I have spent a little time with you and consumed a lot of alcohol. I know you to be a gentleman. I think the same of my two sons except when they get into a fight with their sister, and she is no longer very ladylike.

In a strange way, with Cass marrying into the Henderson clan, this is a family fight brought into the public by a series of unfortunate events.

Kristen, everything I know about you tells me you are a terrific mom and I am sorry for comments by idiots that might imply anything else.

The funny thing is that everyone other then Kristin, and maybe Butch and Eugene, seem to think this is now a static event. I know I am not hearing everything (and I do not want to) but I have not head anything that says this can not be worked out – on a professional level. I am not talking about putting the band back together, but addressing what needs to addressed and moving on.

On personal note, this is the first time in decades I appreciate being an accountant and not an artist – God is still trying to find out hearts and souls, I can see the pain in each of you.

1) There are always at LEAST two sides to every story. The remaining members of AR, Cassidy, management, engineers, producers, Starbucks, fans, roadies, relatives, etc.The truth lies somewhere in the blender.

2) Bands are like marriages. They are intense. A chemistry develops, you become accustomed to and comfortable with each others musical nuances and you spend LOTS of time together sharing a passion. Years, in fact. The end is like a divorce with a million loose ends. "This is mine. This is yours. How do we want to handle the kids (songs).." Members do actually have to mourn the loss and it takes time. Think about a romantic breakup that you've had. A lengthy relationship, preferably one where you were dumped. Were you able to sit down and hash out all the details right then and there or did you need some time to regain your sanity?

3) It takes two (or more) to tango. You know what I realized at the end of my longest relationship? We both $#%&ed it up. We both did dumb, inconsiderate things and the two of us $#%&ed it up together. Nobody's perfect.Maybe AR waited a little "too long" to respond to Cassidy. Maybe Cassidy saw the release of the CD as a way to demand a response. Maybe they both $#%&ed up.

4) I love that KH gave us the play-by-play about how TFW came to be. There are a lot of people who deserve credit for contributing to the birth of that CD and I'm happy that we now have a better idea of exactly who they are. There are also financial/contractual obligations to be met, regardless of whether the album ever saw the light of day.

thank you so much for changing this to blue... my eyes are rejoicing... black background is killer! i would lift my eyes from the screen and see lines in front of my face for awhile... buggy when one is trying to adjust to new glasses.hope you are well.j

P.S. - Judging from the numerous iTunes comments, a lot of people have downloaded the album. If those fans who inadvertently provided The Cassidy Project with an unethical profit would like to make a donation to help with AR's expenses, how might they go about doing that?

There has been a lot to take in over the past few days...and my brain..now "mush" from spending most of my time with my 18 month old daughter is not sure what to make of it all...AR was a HUGE part of my life when I was searching for many things...including myself...And from AR I met many friends, connected with an old friend, had many experiences I may not have ever had, travelled to many places I never knew existed...and most of all experienced great music that when I hear it still takes me to a happy place....Interesting to me is that for a good amount of time AR was my life...I went to as many shows as humanly possible...drove for hours with or without company...had great conversations with band members, helped Liz Brooks sell merch..and even loaded some equipment into Vanna.....it was hard for me to imagine life without AR...but alas it happened...I met my now wife and once I moved from NY to MA things changed for me...it was almost like the start of a new life...I saw AR a few times....but not with the vengence I used to...I say this because when I heard of the "break up" I couldnt help but think that maybe the same things happened to everyone in the group...that maybe people had come to that point where a "new life" began....I was definitely sad but knew I had a treasure chest of AR memories and CD's...Then I saw the article about you and your wife in Real Simple...totally didnt recognize you at first...was reading over the wife's shoulder and said...whose babies...they are cute...her reply was "it is an article about 2 lesbians who were pregnant at the same time"....when I laid claim to be the next in line for the magazine (Real Simple is pretty popular and gets passed around the family) to read the article...my wife brought it to me before it was done to show me a pic and say..."look who it is"....Loved the article and was def sold that everyone had simply begun "new lives"...We had our daughter at that point and I knew how much having a kid changes things....It was shortly after that when I started following you on twitter...mostly for stories about the kids...As a "domestic engineer" (aka stay at home Mom) it is nice to be connected in some way to other Mom's....especially ones that you knew on some way during another part of your life!!!I read the tweet about TFW a little late...must have been a busy day...and was totally lost...so obviously had to catch up and do some research to try and to make sense of things....Not really sure what to say about things...on some level I feel like my less than sharp mind MUST be missing something as I read all the posts and what not...but that is neither here nor there....My curiosity now moves to two things...first...of course I am hearing about the album...and who it "really" is and of course want to hear and have these songs...BUT should I purchase it on itunes when there is so much drama surrounding it...And will it EVER be available again under better circumstances?? Because I would feel better about buying it if things weren't so shady and clearly lacking the credit it deserves....Next...As many have said before...As long as the Hendo sisters are playing music under the name...It will always be AR...and I would be glad to see AR any day (I will add that I am particularly happy that the drummer remained...Hey everyone has a fave!!)....And looking at the schedule I see there is an upcoming show in Northampton MA...The Iron Horse says it is "all ages"...and since my little "monkey" is a HUGE fan of music...do you think 18 months is too young to enjoy a show by the "new" AR??? I know what shows were like when I was young and single....can they be just as enjoyable as a Mom???....now that you are a mom maybe you can help...at what age would you let your kids come to a show??? Would love to come see the show...will they be more "family friendly" now that you have a family...or will sitters be an option when you buy a ticket???

Love hearing about your "mom adventures" and look forward to hearing some music...old and new!!!

Hey Terry,Thanks so much for your post. Those were such great days - all the road tripping everyone did. My oh my how having babies changes things! Touring is going to be extremely interesting.

I especially laughed at how you didn't recognize me in the magazine. That's because I literally ate my way through the entire pregnancy! At my monthly doctor's visits I used to make the nurses fudge the numbers at my weigh in so I wouldn't get into trouble with the doctor. I'm struggling a bit taking off the last 10 lbs., but that doesn't mean I didn't have pizza for dinner tonight!

Thomas and Kate each have their very own sound proof baby headphones and have been attending rehearsals since they were 3 months old. They haven't been to an actual show yet, but that's more for logistical reasons. So I say bring your baby! Let me know if you're seriously considering it and I'll bring a set of headphones for you to borrow.

As for downloading from iTunes, read the blogs from my band mates and the various comments the fans are posting and draw your own conclusions.

KH, as many have already said, you are a class act. You've handled this as always, with grace and dignity and I applaud you. Unfortunately that hasn't been the case with others here.

I've been a fan of AR for 9 yrs and counting I have loved ur music from the first note I ever heard. Never have I picked up and traveled around several states, spending money and time to watch the same band play over and over. But for AR I did and it was an experience unlike any I could put a price tag on. I have made some beautiful, amazing friendships thru AR and I will always be grateful to you ALL for that. When ur band canceled gigs suddenly back when and AR supporters were left without explanation, I wrote to u all asking if you were all ok. That was my main concern. I care about you ladies and was concerned by the sudden AR halt. I received my 1st response from Cassidy..and it was abusive to say the least. But from Cass I expect nothing less. I've seen her in action a few times and have had her venom thrown my way once before. All it did was validate what I was already feeling about her. I know others who've experienced her horror. So her behavior of late is not a surprise to me unfortunately. She seems to have warped morals.

These actions she's taken with Tales are illegal, unprofessional and truthfully disgraceful. What has upset me most is that she claims that she did it for the "fans". Seriously? That's a slap in the face to dedicated supporters of AR like myself. Fans are what make a band. Without fans you have no one to play for or sell to. We all helped to support AR on and off the road, in and out of the studio. We all wanted more AR music..but not this way. Not when it's tarnished by illegal actions. Tales was an AR collaboration thru and thru. To be released without the band, behind ur backs, illegally...is just friggin wrong. Plain and simple. Did she think the fans wouldn't notice or care about that? Does she think we're that shallow? Sorry, I am not and I care.

As for ur cousin posting that disgusting blog response ... I had to think long and hard about what to say in response without making myself look as bad as him. "Andrew...ur blog was COMPLETELY OUT OF LINE...it does not belong here. You have issues with the band and ur cousin, you email them directly. U DON'T POST THEM HERE FOR THE FANS TO DEAL WITH...That's immature, passive aggresive behavior. Grow Up. Stay out of fan and band business Andrew...it's not ur place...not now .. not ever!!!! Do we need to start calling you Yoko here???" And KH, ur response was so well written. You showed him restraint ....he deserved more but I understand why and again I applaud you.

As for the person who talked about KH and her example to her children.....How Dare You bring those babies or KH's family into a blog about a band!!! Kristen's family is private and off limits here or on any of these blogs to any fan, supporter or even other family member. God, what is wrong with people?

I pray for all of you involved in this situation, that you will find a way thru this messiness to some type of reconciliation within and among urselves. That ur music will come first and that what is just and right will prevail. I do believe when you do right things..right things happen. One step at a time this situation will resolve itself. The inner workings of AR before and after Cass are ur business...the music is ours. We all care about ur well being and hope u are able to get past this insanity and get what is rightfully urs.

Finally, Kristen, Dena, Cathy, Jen (and now Nini who's been thrown in the mid of this mess..we're happy ur with us tho), know you have a supporter...a fan for life in this fellow Long Islander. I love ur music and am excited to see what will come next. Hope some new kick ass rock tunes...hint hint. Peace, Rie

I will keep this short since everything I am thinking and feeling has already been stated in previous comments. I particularly agree with Rie. I have been following AR shortly after your Bucknell days which means before Cassidy and two base players ago and I will continue to support AR in any way I can. I have turned on many a family member and colleague to AR. Most recently my newly adopted daughter. Thank you for taking the time to talk to her on Sunday at the Maritime Festival. She didn't want to wash her hand after you shook it!!! Nini is a great addition to the band. You looked truly happy playing together. I look forward to seeing you play on the 12th.

LEO , You are so BRAVE.Devie,sticking-up ROCKS! How much do we LOVE the Thomas and Katie show?!!Roger, nice...hit the nail right on the head!To my dear friends Cathy, Kristen, Dena and Jen;I pledge to continue my physical,emotional and monetary support to your band. There are no strings between friends.(welcome Nini!)

After reading all of this,I will NOT be buying "Cassidy's" new cd.There are some great songs on it but I will wait till AR releases TFW if that day ever happens.I don't like how Cassidy released this without her former bandmates approval so I cannot support her.If TFW never gets released by AR,so be it.I know that your band will continue to write new songs in the future that are equally good and worth the wait.Congrats on making Nini a permanent member of the band.She fits in well with all of you.All the best,Phyl

I am so very thankful that kristen was able to share this information. I will always support AR, including Cass. I am so proud to be a fan and still spread the word....AR has truly changed my life...and hopefully will continue to do that!! This past year has been extremely hard but I am still here!! I am very excited to see whats in store your this amazing group of ladies!

I hate that there is all this going on. After listening to the CD, (I too added it to my library as Tales From Wonderland by Antigone Rising)my daughter and I agree; this CD is fantastic. I don't like how it was released and, had I known before hand I would not have purchased it until all was right. Nevertheless, I love it. I adore Antigone. I wish you all the best and look forward to you coming to Tennessee (Chattanooga, baby!) with Nini.

Sorry for bringing back unwanted memories & also for hesitating between public posting & private message (on FB, Twitter, etc.). I just stared for half an hour at the cover artwork of this album https://twitter.com/ClassicAlbumSun/status/712360729521729536 and at the above cover artwork. Can't help but thinking what a masterpiece that album would have been indeed.